The Weight of the Head of Household
The weight of being the head of the household. Why on earth would it be Han Yeoreum's fault that I was born weak? If it was anyone's fault, it was mine. That's what I'd meant when I said it was my fault, but it looked like Han Yeoreum had misunderstood.
"Why would being born be Winter's fault...?"
Han Yeoreum bit her lip hard—hard enough that it seemed like blood might trickle out.
Why did Han Yeoreum always take my problems onto herself like this? It was a way of thinking I just couldn't understand.
"But it's not anyone else's fault either."
"Well..."
"I don't plan on blaming others for my problems. So yeah, it's my fault."
I laid out my logic to convince her, but she still looked dissatisfied.
"Winter, just being born into this world isn't a sin."
"But there was a problem with my body, right?"
"A problem..."
"Yes. It was my problem, so it's my fault."
Putting all the blame on myself wasn't always a bad thing. The upside was that if it was my problem, I could solve it myself. Other people's problems? Those I couldn't touch. Knowing that simple fact was how I'd survived so long without mana. As long as I could search for solutions, self-deprecation was never a bad strategy.
"...Is Winter really okay with that? Don't you resent people at all?"
"Resent...?"
"Yeah."
Sure, having a body without mana felt unfair sometimes, but resentment? Not really. I avoided people out of fear and suspected everyone as a habit, but the root of it was never resentment. I'd learned from my past life that the world was full of good people. This one had to be packed with them too.
"I've never really resented anyone."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. There are so many good people in the world."
Was that weird to say? Han Yeoreum froze in place. I glanced at her nervously, then continued cautiously.
"B-But honestly, maybe it's because I don't know that many people..."
The people I knew probably didn't even number ten. For someone like me to talk like I understood human relationships—it'd be ridiculous if anyone laughed.
"I'm just glad Winter thinks that way..."
"Y-Yeah..."
Good, she didn't think it was strange. I sighed in relief and patted my chest.
A day had passed since we'd stayed in the guild building. Now we were all back at the container house. Even when I headed to the vegetable patch to harvest, or to the pond to catch fish, Sophia and Levi Nas trailed after me, grumbling the whole way.
"Hing... Levi Nas wants to watch more horn rabbit cartoons..."
"Ahem. That thing called a massage chair was quite nice."
Had staying in the building been that great? I wanted to let them live there too, but there was one big problem: I didn't have a penny to my name. Places like that would've cost millions a month in rent. With my current income, it was impossible.
"We don't have the money to live somewhere like that..."
"M-Money? Levi Nas has lots of empty bottles she picked up..."
Levi Nas pulled a few coins from her pocket. Not even a few hundred won.
"That's not even close."
"I-Is that so? This is a huge amount..."
"It is huge, but to live in a place like that, you'd need to collect ten thousand bottles a month."
"T-Ten thousand...!"
Levi Nas stared at her hands, folding her fingers one by one. After fiddling for a bit, her shoulders slumped. She'd realized just how big that number was. It hurt knowing I'd taught a child about the world's harshness so early.
This was all because I lacked the ability.
"What a shame. But if you say no, then it's no."
"S-Sorry. It's because I have debts..."
Was this the weight of being the head of the household? It was humiliating to be such an incompetent breadwinner.
"King, King."
"Huh?"
"Take this. Levi Nas will contribute to the household."
Levi Nas handed over her entire fortune—those few hundred won. It pained me to burden a child like this.
"Kuh..."
A groan full of anguish came not from me, but from someone else. Turning, I saw a stranger chugging beer straight from the bottle. A few familiar faces were with him—the regulars who drank in the park.
'Lately, more people have been drinking in the park.'
The guild must've approved it; the drinking area had even expanded a bit. Thanks to that, there were more empty bottles to collect, at least.
"King, let's save up lots of money and live in a nice house someday?"
"Y-Yeah. I'll work hard too..."
"...I'll try to earn as much as I can too."
"Sophia, you should rest. Your body's not well."
I tried to stop her, saying it was fine, but she just shook her head. It was despairing that an elder had to work because of my shortcomings.
"This old body can still do something. I'll look into it."
"I'm sorry. It's because I'm so useless..."
"Don't say that. You're already working plenty hard."
"Yeah! Levi Nas knows best how awesome the King is!"
Maybe it was their encouragement, but my mood lifted a bit. Kuhk. Leaving the sound of someone sobbing behind, I decided to find what work I could do.
'Guess I have no choice but to grind the dungeons harder...'
If I went now, would that guy be there? I hesitated a little, but I was the head of the household now. I couldn't abandon my family just because people scared me.
"I think I need to go to the dungeon."
"Dungeon?"
"Yeah. En Sia said I could solo the Goblin Dungeon from now on."
"Hm... If En Sia said so, it should be fine."
Sophia's approval came too. Now I could really go alone. Hunting goblins solo would mean more money. Maybe I could actually let them live in the guild building.
"L-Levi Nas wants to go too!"
"Levi Nas too?"
"Yeah! Levi Nas will pick Damp Mushrooms in the Goblin Dungeon!"
"Damp Mushrooms?"
What the heck was that? I just stood there blankly.
"Mushrooms that grow in the Goblin Dungeon. About a thousand won each."
"Oh..."
A thousand won per mushroom? That could add up. The issue was whether I could bring Levi Nas along.
"Well, as a horn rabbit beastkin, Levi Nas won't die."
"Yeah! Levi Nas is strong!"
Huh? Strong enough to beat goblins? She didn't look it. I looked at Sophia in surprise, and she whispered so only I could hear.
"Horn rabbit beastkin are top-tier at running away."
"Ah..."
In that case, it should be fine to bring her. Clear quests like killing one goblin were shared across the party anyway. I sorted my thoughts and looked up at the guild building. First, I needed to check how much those rooms cost.
Yu Sang-ah was an employee at Yeomyeong Guild who managed the mana stones. She sat at her desk, chin propped up, staring blankly ahead.
'Peak time's coming soon.'
Adventurers would flood in, and it'd get hectic. As Yu Sang-ah massaged her shoulders to brace for the rush, the sale counter door opened, and three little kids walked in.
"Oh my."
Tiny beastkin girls came hopping over. Yu Sang-ah smiled warmly down at them.
"Winter's here?"
"Y-Yeah... I have something I want to ask."
"Sure. Ask away."
Winter looked up at Yu Sang-ah, fidgeting with her fingers for a while. Her tongue didn't loosen easily around people she wasn't close to yet. But still. This was the person who'd given her the gardening set. She couldn't be bad.
Clenching her fists tight, Winter stared at the floor and asked.
"H-How much money do you need to live in the guild building...?"
Everyone in the sale counter fell silent at Winter's question. They knew she lived in a container.
"Well..."
She wanted to quote the cheapest price possible. Hell, say they could live there for free. That's what Yu Sang-ah and everyone there thought. But she was just a guild employee. She didn't have the authority to slash prices.
Sadly, she had to be honest.
"...Guild affiliates can live there pretty cheaply."
"I-I'm not an affiliate though..."
"R-Really? But Winter, aren't you basically one?"
"Yeah, yeah."
An adventurer selling mana stones chimed in from the side. He wasn't Yeomyeong Guild, just a regular hunter dropping off stones, but he decided to take Winter's side anyway.
"Why would I be an affiliate?"
"Someone like Winter? Totally."
"I-Is that so? Am I an affiliate...?"
As Winter crossed her arms and pondered, the chiming adventurer muttered to himself.
"Man, to be a Yeomyeong Guild affiliate at that age? So jealous. I gotta work hard and join too."
His deadpan delivery left everyone in the sale counter impressed. Only Winter and Levi Nas didn't get why.